A method for calculating and recalculating hardware requirements for a database management system computer. One method includes establishing default values for hardware utilization limits such as percent utilization of processors or network interface cards. Working copies of the hardware utilization limits can be initialized to the default utilization limits. Workload requirements can be obtained from a human user. In one method, the workload requirements are obtained as transactions per second value. In another embodiment, the workload requirements are obtained as a detailed list of transactions, expected execution rate of those transactions, and the composition of those transactions, including SQL statement type and parameters upon which those statements operate. The hardware requirements are then calculated so as to be within the hardware utilization limits, and can include discrete numbers of required hardware components such as processors and network interface cards.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for sizing the hardware resources for a yet-to-be built database management system, wherein said hardware resources include a number of processors, the method comprising the steps of: providing one or more desired hardware utilization limits for the yet-to-be built database management system; obtaining one or more throughput workload requirements for the yet-to-be built database management system; determining the hardware resources needed for the yet-to-be built database management system to satisfy the one or more throughput workload requirements while remaining within the desired hardware utilization limits; accepting user entered changes to the desired hardware utilization limits; re-determining the hardware resources needed to remain within said desired hardware utilization limits; and outputting the determined hardware resources to the human user in a format to advise the human user; wherein the desired hardware utilization limits include a desired percent processor utilization limit and said accepting step includes accepting changes to said desired percent processor utilization limit and said determining and re-determining steps include determining said hardware resources such that said desired percent processor utilization limit is maintained and includes changing said number of processors required when necessary to remain within said desired processor utilization limit.
2. A method as recited in claim 1 , the method further comprising the steps of: obtaining selected database requirements including an expected database size; and determining the hardware resources needed for the yet-to-be built database management system to satisfy the selected database requirements while remaining within the desired hardware utilization limits.
3. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein said desired percent processor utilization limit includes upper utilization limit to prevent over utilization of said processors and said determining and re-determining steps include determining said number of processors needed to keep below said upper utilization limit to prevent over utilization of said processors.
4. A method as recited in claim 3 , wherein said desired percent processor utilization limit includes a lower utilization limit to prevent under utilization of said processors.
5. A method as recited in claim 4 , wherein said determining and re-determining steps include determining said number of processors needed to remain above said lower utilization limit to prevent under utilization of said number of processors.
6. A method as recited in claim 3 , wherein said desired hardware utilization limits include a desired network interface card utilization limit and said determining and re-determining steps include determining said hardware requirements within said desired network interface card utilization limits and includes changing said number of network interface cards required when necessary to remain within said network interface card utilization limits.
7. A method as recited in claim 6 , wherein said network interface card utilization limit includes a lower utilization limit to prevent under utilization of said network interface cards and said determining and re-determining steps include determining said number of network interface cards needed to remain above said lower limit to prevent under utilization of said network interface cards.
8. A method as recited in claim 7 , wherein said network interface card utilization limit includes an upper utilization limit to prevent over utilization of said network interface cards and said determining and re-determining steps include determining said number of network interface cards needed to remain below said upper limit to prevent over utilization of said network interface cards.
9. A computerized method for calculating hardware resource requirements for a yet-to-be built database management system computer, wherein said hardware resource requirements include a specified discrete number of hardware components, comprising the steps of: establishing default values for selected hardware utilization limits; initializing said selected hardware utilization limits to said default values; obtaining a workload requirement from said human user; determining said hardware resource requirements as a function of said workload requirement while remaining within said selected hardware utilization limits; obtaining new hardware utilization limits from said human user; re-determining said hardware resource requirements while remaining within said hardware utilization limits; and displaying the determined hardware resource requirements in a format to advise the user of the hardware resource requirements for a yet-to-be built database management system computer to meet the user entered workload requirement.
10. A computerized method as recited in claim 9 , wherein and said determining and re-determining steps include determining said specified number of hardware components.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
February 29, 2000
September 27, 2005
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.